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Introduction Circular economy implementation in the construction sector is expected to increase opportunities for green entrepreneurship and significantly contribute to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, in line with the European Union's ambitious target. However, nowadays circularity in the construction sector remains underdeveloped, with limited empirical research investigating individual stakeholders' perspectives. This paper, focusing on the case of Greece, examines the specifications for circular construction products identified as critical by stakeholders, as well as the barriers and drivers shaping current developments in the construction sector toward circularity. Methods The methodology includes the following steps: a critical literature review on the topics under investigation (specifications, barriers, drivers); development of a questionnaire to explore stakeholders' views; conduction of a quantitative empirical survey targeting Greek key stakeholders from the circular economy and/or the construction sectors. The survey was conducted from October 2024 to April 2025 and involved 100 stakeholders from the research, academic, industrial, policy, and construction sectors. Responses were collected via an online questionnaire or via a hard-copy version distributed at relevant conferences and events. The perceptions of stakeholders were revealed using descriptive statistics, while Kruskal-Wallis H tests were conducted to identify statistically significant differences in responses among stakeholders with varying levels of knowledge of circular economy practices in the construction sector. Results and discussion The analysis showed that Greek stakeholders prioritize certain specifications of circular economy products, such as safety, energy efficiency, and impacts on human health, over others, such as aesthetics and delivery time. Cost-related aspects, lack of government support, regulatory framework and limited consumer awareness are perceived as the most significant barriers. In parallel, funding for innovation, raising awareness, and enforcement of related regulations are considered key drivers. Variations in perceptions based on stakeholders' knowledge levels suggest the need for targeted educational and policy interventions to bridge knowledge gaps. The paper's findings are considered significant for selecting appropriate strategies and policies to strengthen the implementation of the circular economy in the construction sector.
Oikonomou et al. (Thu,) studied this question.